In her 2010 Virginia News Letter article, rail advocate and policy analyst, Meredith Richards, reviewed the history and current performance of Amtrak, passenger rail's relationship with the freight railroads, Virginia's intercity passenger rail system, plans for growth, and the policy issues that will determine the future of intercity passenger rail in the Commonwealth.

"Within the next half century, and hopefully much sooner, Virginia can create a versatile and efficient passenger rail network that brings convenient intercity rail access to at least 70 percent of its citizens. The state can have high speed rail with connections to the Southeastern states and the Northeast Corridor (NEC), and it can have commuter rail operating in the state’s major metropolitan areas. But to do this will require enlightened public policies, sufficient public investment, and the satisfactory resolution of chronic, systemic problems which threaten to prevent passenger rail from reaching its full potential." .... Read more